Reds plan to be buyers ahead of trade deadline
Despite sitting in last place in a crowded NL Central, the Cincinnati Reds are going to try to get better before the July 31 trade deadline.
Reds president Dick Williams confirmed Friday that the Reds, who sit five games out of first place, will be looking to buy prior to the deadline.
“We’re going to look around to see what we can do to make us better, which would put us in the buyer category,” Williams said, via C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.
Williams added that the Reds were unlikely to make major additions, but would try to make minor improvements without mortgaging the future too much.
There are certainly other reasons the Reds might not pursue the likes of Madison Bumgarner, but the approach makes sense. Despite their last-place status, they have a +27 run differential, and the tightness of the Central has ensured that they’re still in it. They might as well see what they can do on the market.